Get your song played on video games
What could be more enjoyable than hearing your own song in your favourite video game?
Good news: It is 100% possible to get your song heard in the newest hit video game!
Video game producers may desire to include music for a variety of reasons.
It's no secret that music has a significant impact on:
- The mood of a game
- The feeling of urgency felt by the players
- Even the process of learning the game's mechanics!
So how do we go about licensing music to video games?
Read this full blog and you'll soon know what licensing to video games means.
Do you make good music?
Want to get your music on active & relevant playlists that actually get results?
Get your music heard now 👇
music licensing in the gaming industry: Explained
Music supervisors work in the games industry to find songs for placement. They deal with music licensing as well as discovery.
The best way to have your music heard by a lot of players is to send it to video game companies.
The gaming industry and music business have always collaborated on content.
(Just look at Grant Theft Auto... So many songs have been discovered there.)
Millions of people all around the globe spend countless hours each day playing their favorite video games...
Think about how many potential fans you can make.
Video games are still one of the most widely consumed forms of media today.
In certain games, the soundtrack is an integral part of the experience.
You aren't just a faceless brand... You can be a legend.
Video game music enhances the experience.
It gives players something to look forward to each time they boot up an old save!
It's no shock that many game developers treat the music selection process with great care.
Get Your Music On video games 100% On Your Own.
This ad above with the book ☝️ is the BEST resource for getting on video games.
- Learning the skills you need to find work in the field.
What’s the process for submitting music to video games?
The submission procedure for video game music will differ.
Every video game developer has a different system of working with artists.
That said... There is a standard process to a degree.
Several common procedures may be used by almost any musician.
Ways to get your music on video games:
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Get a Synch agent
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Submit your music directly
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Find the music supervisor
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Hire a publisher
You must first submit your song for approval by the developer's team.
This does not mean that YOU have to be the one who submits!
You may use email or a submissions platform (or team) to get that done.
We're going to go deeper into this on this blog.
Video game developers can only utilize your music in their game when you've authorized copyright, payment, and use limits.
How to license your music for video game placements
First, let's talk about getting your music licensed for usage in video games.
Selecting which sync licensing firm you'd want to submit your music to is the first step in having it featured in a game.
Sync licensing firms work in the music business to license music to different media (video games, TV, etc.) They usually deal with music supervisors directly.
You select a sync licensing agency based on a few factors:
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Your genre of music
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The target demographic
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Size of video game project
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Your experience in music licensing
Take note of these sync agencies and find out what it would take to get your song in front of them.
Oftentimes - you can simply submit your new music to these sync licensing firms.
The benefit of using a sync licensing agent is that they deal with the backend work.
Each game creator has their own set of rules normally you'll need to read up on...
It's a complex process filled with headaches.
At least with a sync licensing firm, you can get the music placement without the headache.
The sync licensing agent will approach companies on your behalf!
What kind of music do video game music supervisors want?
There's a reason why independent artists get skipped for sync deals...
It's because more independent artists don't understand what video games mean by "good music."
Your egocentric rap song might perform well on Spotify, but the video game industry operates under different rules.
Just because you produce hip-hop music - doesn't mean that it belongs in Grand Theft Auto.
Here's a checklist for what music supervisors want:
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Original compositions
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Emotional music
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Non-egotistical music
Game publishers want the music to be a background substance while the user plays - nothing more.
The music industry is braggadocios, but you can leave those music files in your computer back at home.
To reach music licensing success you need to produce tracks that match the actual game.
Just check out Activision, Blizzard, and EA Games... They find music to augment the games.
The role of a publishing company is to solve this problem.
Send the right music, and the video game industry will love/cherish you forever!
Here's another aspect when dealing with music supervisors in the video game industry:
Most music discovered in video game production fits these three genres:
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Indie Rock preferred
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Hip Hop preferred
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EDM preferred
Why limit sync deals to just this?
The answer is simple: mass appeal.
Music licensing needs to be broad enough to fit the game world.
Romanian folk music isn't one of the musical styles consumed by the mass population.
Like, listen to the track below. It's good - but won't be in GTA 6.
Even for Super Mario, the original score is made in advance - designed for popular consumption on visual media.
Do you make good music?
Identifying which game developers you want to submit to
You may start looking for video game developers.
The sooner you find them - the sooner you can get a sync deal.
You can only begin licensing songs to your track... After you've located game developers.
There are many options for doing this:
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Google game developers
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Network on LinkedIn
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Have your sync agent do the work
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Look through TV credits
In the early days, you would have to go through the standard submission process.
Now though - the world is global.
With the same email, you can reach out to 1000 different professionals!
All you have to do is create your database of connections, and then systematically reach out.
A search engine query may turn up developer-run online communities, discussion boards, and social media profiles for video games.
The visual media needs to match the songs you submit.
While these coders aren't producing music... They have contacts with game publishers.
This makes all the difference because a referral to the video game creative team is better than cold outreach.
Of course, getting a music placement isn't that simple (your music needs to ACTUALLY be good.)
However, younger generations learned to source music from their network rather than the static industry process!
Get Your Music On video games 100% On Your Own.
This ad above with the book ☝️ is the BEST resource for getting on video games.
Finding sync agents that accept submissions
You now know how to submit music to video game companies.
Now, let's examine the most promising music licensing forms for your submission!
Let's begin with a few pointers on how to go about tracking down music licensing agents who are open to submissions.
Best tips to find music licensing agents:
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Check out the web pages of various sync agents as a starting point.
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Get in touch with them via a "contact us" or "give us music" page on their website.
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Try searching Google for music licensing for video games" with the name of the game.
Getting a sync license isn't a complex rocket science.
It just takes you putting in work to overcome the learning curve to license music and deal with music supervisors.
Since sync agents are not copyright holders, you must ensure that the song/songs you submit are owned 100% by you.
This is the case whether you're in a rock band or do your own thing.
Platforms that currently allow sync music submissions
Now that you know which games you want to send your music to, we can examine the top platforms that accept such submissions!
You may send your music to the makers of games you're interested in using the following websites, all of which have a history of accepting musical works.
Here are the 5 best sync licensing agencies for video games:
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Music Vibe
Use these agencies and get into video games!
Upload your music to libraries for sync licensing
A music library is another excellent selection for video game composers.
Through a music library, a music supervisor can find tracks that fit the video game vision.
In music libraries, the music supervisor licenses music directly.
It’s a very common place for music publishers to find relevant tracks.
As an independent artist - if you struggle to get in contact with audio directors...
Then consider putting your best music in libraries.
The world runs off of music libraries.
There are music licensing opportunities for every genre and every composer.
If you are an artist that has never got sync placements I do believe that this is a great place to start.
use MusicBed for sync license Placements!
One of the most widely used music libraries, MusicBed, has just partnered with Sony PlayStation!
Music bed is a great way for you to collect Royalty payments and start licensing music to video games today.
MusicBed is one of the largest music libraries in the music industry. If you have instrumental versions of your most popular tracks on Apple Music...
Then you can get a sync license by using this service.
Don’t expect to make new fans - that is not the purpose of MusicBed.
However, as a composer, you can gain ROI by licensing to the games industry through MusicBed.
find a music supervisor in charge
So which music supervisor should you go with?
Depending on which music supervisor you select, the chances of getting your music featured in the gaming industry can change.
Music supervisors only profit when they license music to visual media, so they do need you as a composer.
But just note: there are more musicians than there are supervisors.
That's why you need to make sure that the pitch is perfect:
1. Have all of the contact details ready in advance
2. Prepare the right song for the right games
3. make sure that all the right holders Are in agreement
These things that make the music licensing process 100x easier.
For example, before you create your first song try to reach out to the games industry and enter the scene somehow.
This will give you an idea of how musicians and music supervisors operate.
In turn, you can make your entrance to the games industry MUCH smoother!
This leads to a more sustainable career.
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